Business Policies
Welcome to my practice. If you are in need of help, I am pleased that you have decided to consider treatment with me. You are taking the important step of reaching out for professional help when you need it. This document is designed to ensure that you understand our professional relationship and my business policies.
NATURE OF THERAPY
Psychotherapy is not easily described in general statements. It varies depending on the personalities of the psychologist and the client, as well as the particular problems the client brings forward. Some clients need only a few therapy sessions to reach their therapeutic goals, while others may require more. There are many different methods I may use to deal with the problems that you hope to address. Psychotherapy is not like a medical doctor visit. Instead, it calls for a very active effort on your part. In order for the therapy to be most successful, you will have to work on things we talk about both during our sessions and at home.
Psychotherapy can have benefits and risks. Since therapy often involves discussing unpleasant aspects of your life, you may experience uncomfortable feelings like sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, loneliness, and helplessness. On the other hand, psychotherapy has also been shown to have benefits for people who go through it. Therapy often leads to better relationships, solutions to specific problems, and significant reductions in feelings of distress. But there are no guarantees of what you will experience.
Although our sessions may be very intimate emotionally and psychologically, it is important for you to realize that we have a professional relationship rather than a personal one. Our contact will be limited to the paid sessions you have with me. You will be best served if our relationship remains strictly professional and if our sessions concentrate exclusively on your concerns.
FEES, CANCELLATIONS AND INSURANCE REIMBURSEMENT
In return for a fee of $120 per therapy hour, I agree to provide psychological services for you. The therapy hour is 50 minutes. The fee for each session will be due and must be paid at the conclusion of each session. Cash, personal checks, or credit cards (Visa or Mastercard) are acceptable for payment.
In addition to weekly appointments, I charge this same hourly fee for most other professional services you may need, though I will break down the hourly cost if I work for periods of less than one hour. Other services include report writing, telephone conversations lasting longer than 10 minutes, attendance at meetings with other professionals you have authorized, preparation of records or treatment summaries, and the time spent performing any other service you may request of me. Payment schedules for these professional services will be agreed upon when they are requested. If your account has somehow not been paid for more than 60 days and arrangements for payment have not been agreed upon, I have the option of using legal means to secure the payment. This may involve hiring a collection agency or going through small claims court. If such legal action is necessary, its costs will be included in the claim. In most collection situations, the only information I release regarding a client's treatment is his / her name, the nature of services provided, and the amount due.
In the event that you are unable to keep an appointment, you must notify me 24 hours in advance. Full fee will be charged unless I receive such notification. In order that there is a minimum interruption of your therapy if you should miss an appointment, please plan to reschedule for another hour during the same week.
If you wish to seek reimbursement for my services from your health insurance company, I will be happy, at your request, to provide you with a monthly invoice that you can attach to your insurance forms after you have completed them. Some health insurance companies will reimburse clients for my professional services and some will not. In addition, most insurance companies will require a diagnosis of your mental health condition before they will agree to reimburse you. Some conditions for which people seek therapy do not qualify for reimbursement. Any diagnosis made will become part of your permanent insurance records.
You should contact a company representative to determine whether your insurance company will reimburse you. Because YOU will be paying me after each session for my services, please do not assign any insurance payments to me.
LITIGATION LIMITATION
Due to the nature of the therapeutic process and the fact that it often involves a client's full disclosure of matters of a confidential nature, it is agreed that should there be legal proceedings (such as, but not limited to, divorce and custody disputes, injuries, lawsuits, etc.) neither you nor your attorney nor anyone else acting on your behalf will call on me to testify in court or at any other proceeding, nor will a disclosure of the clinical records be requested. If you become involved in legal proceedings that require my participation, you will be expected to pay for my professional time even if I am called to testify by another party. Because of the difficulty of legal involvement, I charge $350 per hour for preparation and attendance at any legal proceeding.
RECORDS AND CONFIDENTIALITY
All of our communication becomes part of your clinical record. In general, the law protects the privacy of all communications between a client and a psychologist, and I can only release information about our work to others with your written permission. But there are a few exceptions:
1. In most legal proceedings, you have the right to prevent me from providing any information about your treatment. In some
proceedings involving child custody and those in which your emotional condition is an important issue, a judge may order my testimony
if he / she determines that the issues demand it. 2. There are some situations in which I am legally obligated to take action to protect others from harm, even if I have to reveal some information about a client's treatment. For example, if I believe that a child, an elderly person, or an adult disabled person is being abused, I must file a report with the appropriate agency. 3. If I believe that a client is threatening serious bodily harm to another, I am required to take protective actions. These actions may include notifying the potential victim, contacting the police, or seeking hospitalization for the client. If the client threatens to harm himself / herself, I may be obligated to seek hospitalization for him / her or to contact family members or others who can help provide protection.
These situations have rarely occurred in my practice. If such a situation occurs, I will make every effort to fully discuss it with you before taking any action.
I may occasionally find it helpful to consult other professionals about a case. During a consultation, I avoid revealing the identity of my client. The client's name or other identifying information is not mentioned. The consultant is also legally bound to keep the information confidential.
MINORS
If you are under eighteen years of age, please be aware that the law may provide your parents the right to examine your treatment records. It is my policy to request an agreement from parents to give up access to your records. If they agree, I will provide them only with general information about our work together, unless I feel there is a high risk that you will seriously harm yourself or someone else. In this case, I will notify them of my concern. I will also provide them with a summary of your treatment when it is complete. Before giving them any information, I will discuss the matter with you, if possible, and do my best to handle objections, if any, that you may have.
CONTACTING ME
I am often not immediately available by telephone. I probably will not answer the phone when I am with a client. When I am unavailable, my telephone is answered by voice mail that I monitor frequently. I will make every effort to return your call on the same day you make it, with the exception of weekends and holidays. If you are difficult to reach, please inform me of some times when you will be available. If you are unable to reach me and feel that you can't wait for me to return your call, contact your family physician, the nearest emergency room, or the police (911). If I will be unavailable for an extended time, I will provide you with the name of a colleague to contact, if necessary.
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